Sunday, July 27, 2014

2014 CAAF Judicial Conference

Each year the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
presents a two-day conference open to the public. This year’s conference
almost didn't happen because of budget issues, but it did. Compared to
some of the previous years, the program was a good one and well received by the
audience.

You can read the handouts
now on CAAF. There are some interesting items for the practitioner,
as well as an overview for others of the quality of the program.

I have Lincoln's
Code: The Laws of War in American History, by Professor John Fabian Witt,
Allen H. Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law,Yale Law School, it’s a five-star
read. I recommend it alongside Stephen C. Neff’s, Justice
in Blue and Gray: A Legal History of the Civil War. Despite the name of the book, Neff explores
some of the same issue as Witt. A review
says, “An essential book for understanding America's bifurcated legal system in
wartime--the criminal courts under an established jurisprudence and military
commissions pursuant to the law of war. Indeed, many issues Neff
examines--sovereignty, detention, civil liberties in wartime--are relevant
today.”